Reversible Surface Furniture Assembly

ABSTRACT

A furniture assembly is disclosed. A surface is reversibly attached to a support via a removable connector. The connector attaches through the surface into the support structure and preferably lays flush with the surface. The connector may even blend aesthetically with the surface. The surface may be flipped to the opposite side by removing the connector and turning the surface over. A recess on the opposing side also allows the connector to pass there-through and connect to the support structure. In alternate embodiments, the two opposing surfaces may be identical or they may be different to reflect two distinct styles, colors, patterns, textures or the like. The flipping of the surface may be done to extend the life of the surface, change the aesthetic of the surface or both.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/510,164 filed on Jul. 21, 2011 and titled “Reversible Surface Assembly.”

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present device relates to assembled furniture. Particularly, the present system relates to furniture having a replaceable surface, such as a table, bench, desk, shelves or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is inevitable that furniture, like all things, will eventually wear-out, whether in quality or style, and will need to be repaired or replaced in some manner. Household furniture can usually be replaced fairly easily, if not inexpensively, as all pieces do not typically require replacement at the same time. However, office and restaurant furniture, for example, may not be as simple, or inexpensive to replace. As the number of tables, desks, benches and the like which need to be replaced rises, the cost to a business to replace such furniture can be expensive in both time and money.

Aesthetics and function are two of the principle forces behind the selection of most furniture. When either of these features is diminished or lost by a furniture piece, for example as a result of daily wear or other abrupt damage, it may be time for replacement. Ideally, an identical or similar piece could be swapped in to maintain continuity and prevent miss matching with other décor.

The need may be particularly heightened for restaurants which utilize table and bench seating, where the table is supported by at least one vertical support having a large disc shaped device screwed or bolted into the underside of the table surface. Over time, the top surface of the seat and/or the table become marred, worn, or otherwise unusable. A new table surface and/or seat may be needed, but it may take time before a suitable replacement can be obtained. The subpar unit may be taken out of service or remain in use until a replacement can be installed.

In some cases, the need to replace furniture may be temporary and unrelated to the functionality of the piece. For example, a switch from casual dining in the daytime to a more formal evening setting may be desired. Color or texture changes too may be temporarily desired. In such instances, the switch from one motif to the other may require frequent and long-term storage of alternate furniture. However, with the invention of the present application, no storage is required.

Further, the present invention provides improved ease and quickness for installation of a surface. In a volume install—e.g., assembly of all table tops in a restaurant—there can be a considerable labor cost on both the initial install and subsequent replacement of the surfaces. For example, most table assemblies are accomplished with the table in the upside down position. The present invention is assembled in the upright position, saving installers time and avoiding possible damage to the table because it does not have to be inverted after assembly. Thus, the present invention speeds the installation and replacement process in several ways: minimal tools are required, guess-work on assembly is eliminated, and damage during assembly is greatly reduced.

Each surface comes pre-prepped for a perfectly balanced furniture piece. The resulting connection of the present invention is actually stronger than the traditional fastening of screws from the bottom. The present connection passes through the entire thickness of the surface rather than just using wood screws which bite into a smaller depth of the material.

Until the invention of the present application, these and other problems in the prior art went either unnoticed or unsolved by those skilled in furniture design. The present invention provides a furniture assembly which will extend the aesthetic scope and functional life of furniture without sacrificing features, designs, style or affordability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein an improved furniture assembly which avoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.

In an embodiment of the invention, a horizontal surface is reversibly attached to a support via a removable connector. The connector attaches through the surface into the support structure and lays flush with the surface. The connector may even blend aesthetically with the surface. The surface may be flipped to the opposite side by removing the connector and turning the surface over. A recess on the opposing side also allows the connector to pass there-through and connect to the support structure.

In alternate embodiments, the two opposing surfaces may be identical or they may be different to reflect two distinct styles, colors, patterns, textures or the like. The flipping of the top surface may be done to extend the life of the top surface, change the aesthetic of the surface or both.

In other embodiments, the surface operates as a desk top, a table top, a stool, a seat, a bench, a shelf, or any similar type of horizontal surface.

In another embodiment, the system is suitable for retrofitting to existing supports. The addition of a dual-sided horizontal surface and the novel connector provides a stronger furniture component and a longer-life for the resulting furniture assembly.

These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a round table top with a singular base constructed in accordance with the invention of the present application;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of a passage in accordance with an embodiment of the present assembly;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the connector element;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the connector of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate assembly steps of an embodiment of the present system; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of a tool for use with embodiments of the present assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail at least one preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to any of the specific embodiments illustrated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-7, there is illustrated a furniture assembly, generally designated by the numeral 10. The particular illustrated assembly 10 is for a table having a top surface or substrate 12 mounted to a single tubular base 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 14 has a foot 16, a leg or stem 18, and a surface support or support flange 20. However, while all the embodiments illustrated are directed to a table assembly with a single base, it should be understood that the principles of the invention can be broadly applied to a table with several bases or legs, as well as other type of furniture such as benches, workstations, countertops, desks, stools, shelves, chairs and the like, as long as the furniture has an exposed surface secured to a support of some type. The surface is most likely to be a top surface, but may be, for example, a side support surface, a drawer face, a seating surface, an angled support or decorative surface, and the like.

As can be seen, the table surface 12 includes a center recess 22 on each side. The two recesses 22 are connected by passage 23 through the surface core 24. The recesses 22 are positioned on the surface 12 at a point to provide perfect balance to the surface and eliminate field “guess-work” by installers and maintenance personnel.

The color and texture of the two opposing sides of the surface 12 may be identical or they may be different. For example, the two sides may be different colors, different textures (e.g., smooth and grooved), different designs (e.g., striped and solid), or even constructed of different materials (e.g., wood, metal, acrylic, etc.). Having material (e.g., laminate, veneer or other) on both sides of the surface would balance the material making it less prone to warping. In prior art furniture designs, the underside of a surface is typically covered, if at all, with just a backer sheet, which provides little structural integrity to the piece.

Generally speaking, the base 14 includes at least one leg 18 for steadying the assembly 10 and a support flange 20 for connecting to a top surface 12 and acting as an interface. A foot 16 may be used where the assembly 10 contacts a floor or similar horizontal surface. However, where the leg attaches, for example, to a wall, the foot may be eliminated.

Typically, a plurality of screws (not shown) are used to secure the surface to the flange. Such an attachment method destroys the underside of the surface, or at least makes it unsuitable for facing upward in most instances. In the present invention, an elongated bolt or male connector 26 is mounted within the leg 18 of the base 14 at a point for connection to a female connector 28 which passes through the entire surface 12. Such a connection is far stronger and provides a sturdier surface than that of prior art methods.

Also, rubber (or other non-marking, non-skid durable material) supports 30 are attached to the support flange 20, typically where the existing screw holes of the flange are positioned, to engage the underside of the surface 12. That is, these supports 30 prevent the secured surface 12 from easily rotating on the base 14 where a single connection point is used. The rubber supports 30 also prevent marring of the underside of the surface 12 by the support flange 20 to maintain the alternate surface in good aesthetic condition.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector 28 includes a threaded section. The female connector 28 passes through the recesses 22 and passage 23 of the surface 12 and attaches to the bolt 26 on the base 14 after the surface 12 is mounted atop the base 14.

Other suitable two-piece connectors, including other male-to-female connectors may be used in embodiments of the present invention. When mounted, as noted above, the surface should only contact the rubber supports so as to guard against damage to the surface underside.

The connector 28 is intended to completely fill the top recess 22 and form a flush upward surface. Turning the connector 28 to properly tighten the connection is facilitated by a special tool 40, as shown in FIG. 7. The tool 40 is comprised of a handle 42 and an interface 44. The interface 44 is preferably a rubber or tacky surface capable of gripping the top of connector 28. The special tool 40 is positioned to contact and grip the connector 28 via the interface 44 and thereby permits rotation of the connector 28 to tighten or loosen for attachment or detachment, as the case may be. Other suitable connection tools could certainly be designed to work properly with the connector.

In other embodiments (not shown), the furniture surface may include a plurality of paired recesses where, for example, a single connector may be unsuitable. Such furniture includes long tables, benches, counter tops, and similar assemblies. The furniture may also include non-linear surfaces, including L-shaped, 0-shaped, C-shape, S-shaped, T-shaped and similar assemblies. Those skilled in the art would understand such applications of the present invention.

With reference to FIGS. 6A-6D, assembly of the illustrated table may be more readily understood. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the connector 28 is removed from the secured position on the surface 12 and base 14. The special tool 40 of FIG. 7 may be used to loosen and/or remove the connector 28. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the table surface 12 is disconnected from the base 14 by lifting it from the support flange 20. Next, the table surface 12 may be replaced with a new surface or, as shown in FIG. 6C, flipped to the opposite side. Finally, after positioning the surface 12 onto the support flange 20 of the base 14, the connector 28 is then re-attached to the base 14. Again, the special tool 40 of FIG. 7 may be used to apply the requisite force to turn and tighten the connector 28.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. 

1. A furniture assembly comprising: a substrate having two opposing surfaces and a passage there through which joins openings defined in each of the two opposing surfaces; a base connected to the substrate and comprising: a support for anchoring the base; a substrate interface for contacting the substrate, wherein a rod extends from a portion of the substrate interface; and a stem connecting the substrate interface to the support; a connector configured to attach to the rod extended from the substrate interface through the passage of the substrate; wherein when the surface is connected to the base, a surface of the connector is substantially flush with an exposed side of the surface.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pairs of recesses formed in the opposing sides of the surface.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, further comprising a connector for each pair of recesses.
 4. The assembly of claim 3, further comprising a support for connecting to each of the connectors.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the support is a frame.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the connector has a male end and a female end
 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a table and the surface is one of either a top surface or an exposed side surface.
 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a bench.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is a desk.
 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the surface is reversible.
 11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the two sides are identical.
 12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the two sides are aesthetically different.
 13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the connector head is equal to a diameter of the support.
 14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the support comprises a vertical post.
 15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the support comprises a plurality of vertical legs.
 16. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tool for engaging the connector.
 17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the tool engages the connector via surface friction.
 18. A table comprising: a substrate having two opposing surfaces and a passage there through which joins recessed openings defined in each of the two opposing surfaces; a base connected to the substrate and comprising: a support for anchoring the base; a substrate interface for contacting the substrate, wherein a rod extends from a portion of the substrate interface; and a stem connecting the substrate interface to the support; and a connector configured to attach to the rod extended from the substrate interface through the passage of the substrate; wherein when the surface is connected to the base, a surface of the connector is substantially flush with an exposed side of the surface.
 19. The table of claim 18, further comprising rubber supports attached to the substrate interface.
 20. The table of claim 18, wherein the two opposing surfaces of the substrate are suitable for use as a top surface. 